When you've got a hankering for some harpsichord, you won't hear it much on the FM dial. Enter the Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado — a professional period instrument ensemble that revels in the musical riches of the 17th and 18th centuries.

The orchestra returns to Broomfield Auditorium Friday, to the sheer delight of the community's classical music lovers. The orchestra will be performing the work of composer George Frideric Handel.

"This is our first Handel night there, but we've performed at the Audi a few times, and we love it," said orchestra founder and artistic director Frank Nowell. "It's a perfect space for our ensemble and the music we play. And the audiences have been so enthusiastic and warm."

The orchestra will perform excerpts from eight of Handel's operas, including "Julius Caesar," "Xerxes," "Rodelinda" and "Orlando."

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"Most people today know Handel from The Messiah and Fireworks and Water Music," Nowell said, "but we're rediscovering his operas — he wrote over 40 of them. Opera houses are beginning to bring more Handel into their repertory. With this program I wanted to give people a glimpse of Handel as an opera composer, with a sort of 'best hits' program."

Handel enjoyed a heady career as an opera composer in 1720s London, when Italian opera was en vogue. He was a master opera composer and, it could be said, people handler — attending to famous singers with bloated egos, rival companies and a public ever hungry for more.

According to Nowell, the Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado concert celebrates Handel's exceptional dramatic and melodic gifts with excerpts from seven operas, featuring three acclaimed Handel specialists as guest artists. Complementing the musical excerpts are behind-the-scenes stories from the London stage.

"Handel is always up there in my top three composers," Nowell said. "His music has incredible range, emotionally. When I listen to his operas, the first thing that comes to mind is ... the man knew how to write a tune. Some of his arias are just sublime, and he knew how to move an audience with a fairly simple melody. He also had a great sense of drama."

Violinist Stacey Brady of Broomfield has been playing with the orchestra since its first concert in 2005. She is looking forward to performing in her community.

"I always enjoy performing at the Audi," she said. "I have played there a few times with both (Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado) and the Sphere Ensemble, and it is a wonderful space. I really enjoy the fact that the audience feels so close — you can look out and see individual faces. And I might just recognize a few of my neighbors out there."

Brady is thoughtful when describing Handel, respectful of the artist nearly 300 years after his time.

"When we hear the word 'opera,' we often imagine a boisterous voice that is loud and filled with lots of vibrato. Handel opera is more about a pure tone voice with a melody that you might just find yourself humming the next day. I think that the audience will be engaged in the overall clarity of this music and enjoy the movement of the notes around the stage," she said. "You will hear music that is sad and haunting, as well as tunes that make you want to dance. If you like, you can lose yourself in the voices themselves and just let your mind wander."

The concert features three guest artists who specialize in Handel opera roles internationally. They "live and breathe these roles," Nowell said, "and bring them to life on the modern stage."

There will be several arias that were sung in Handel's day by a singer named Senesino — the most famous of the castrati singers. Nowell said that today these can be sung by either a female mezzo-soprano or a male countertenor singing in his falsetto range. With Jennifer Lane and Randall Scotting, both are on the program. The baritone is Tyler Duncan, who is very much in demand as a Handel singer.

Will the Broomfield audience be familiar with the music?

"Some people in our audiences are very knowledgeable — they listen to recordings and are fans of Baroque music," Nowell said. "We may also have a few attending this program that have actually seen or heard these operas. Most people are just curious or open to the music. Baroque is accessible and draws you in very naturally. And it's our job as performers to bring you into the musical experience."

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